The present invention relates to a collet for retaining a stud or button headed fastener and more particularly to a collet for use in an automatic stud welding device.
In the field of stud welding, many problems exist due to the contaminants produced by the welding process, which may be harmful to the surface of the workpiece onto which the stud is welded, as well as to the equipment itself. These contaminants are known in the trade as splatter, or smut, and may be deposited on the workpiece itself, or become deposited on the welding equipment adjacent the collet.
In the case of splatter, the material produced by a number of welding operations tends to build within the area of the welding gun adjacent the collet, and in many instances may cause arcing to be produced between the equipment and the work surface. In practice then, it is necessary to remove the splatter or smut from the area adjacent the collet from time to time in order to maintain the integrity of the welding operation. This practice requires interruption of the welding operation for a period of time, which in a production line operation can be both time consuming, and expensive.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a welding device wherein means are provided to remove smut and splatter after each operation of the device.
Another object of the invention is to provide a novel collet for use in a stud welding gun of the automatic type wherein a gaseous, discharge is provided adjacent the collet after each welding operation, to remove splatter or smut which accumulates.